Chapter 89: Why Not Go Along With It?

Intruders in forbidden grounds, death awaits!
A massive sign, the letters blood-red, glowed ominously at the entrance to the forbidden land.
Ahead lay a path, so deep it seemed bottomless, shrouded in shadows. The stones flanking the path emitted a faint green light, barely illuminating the narrow trail, while the end of the path dissolved into endless darkness.
This was not a road leading to fortune, but rather a path to the underworld, the Yellow Springs.
For a moment, everyone fell silent.
Xiao Jihan glanced back, but Yan Shu was nowhere to be seen.
Meng Yu, noticing his movement, spoke softly, “Perhaps Aunt Yan didn’t enter. She seems not very concerned about the opportunities within.”
Xiao Jihan recalled Yan Shu mentioning that the forbidden land contained the legacy of the Medicine King, but she had no talent for alchemy and had said coming would be pointless. He believed Meng Yu’s explanation.
Still, a vague displeasure lingered in his heart. He had thought that since she had come for him, she would stay by his side throughout.
Pang Feiyan, somewhat fearful, stepped behind Meng Yu and whispered, “Master, are we truly going in?”
Meng Yu gave her a reassuring look. “There is a teleportation array within the secret realm, and beyond it lies the forbidden ground. Clearly, there must be opportunity here. But no one can say what that opportunity is, nor the risks involved. If you have doubts, you may use the array to leave.”
Pang Feiyan stared at the shadowed path, nervously swallowing. “Is Master going?”
Meng Yu nodded, “Since we are here, naturally, we must go and see for ourselves.”
On hearing this, Pang Feiyan promptly said, “Then… then I’ll go too.”
The teleportation array might not even lead out; better to stay with the group than wander alone into the unknown.
She glanced up at Meng Yu—if she were to perish here, at least she would share his fate.
Unlike Pang Feiyan, whose fear and hesitation were clear, Xiao Jihan showed no such pause. He surveyed the path and walked forward without delay.
Qiu Shuoran and Sun Changfeng exchanged glances and followed him.
The group advanced cautiously, but despite the path’s foreboding appearance, they encountered no obstacles, no danger.
Yet such calm only heightened their unease; beneath serenity often lurks great peril.

After a while, they pressed on, passing through thick underbrush, and the vista suddenly opened—a dense forest, lush and fragrant, filled with birdsong and flowers, appeared before them.
Before teleporting, the sun had been setting, but now it hung blazing overhead.
The forest stretched endlessly, sunlight filtering through the leaves in dappled patterns.
A new sign stood at the forest’s entrance.
Unlike the previous warning, this was a guidepost: one direction, pointing into the forest, marked “Death”; the other, toward the shadowed path behind, marked “Life.”
Qiu Shuoran, having walked nervously for nearly an hour, now grew annoyed. “Just now, it said trespassers would die, but nothing happened! This is just playing tricks!”
Sun Changfeng agreed, “We’ve come this far; there’s no turning back.”
Meng Yu nodded, “Then let us proceed.”
Xiao Jihan remained still, scrutinizing the forest with a furrowed brow.
Qiu Shuoran entered the woods, turning to sneer, “Coward! If you’re scared, you can still turn back now!”
Xiao Jihan lifted his eyes, gaze contemptuous.
“What’s with that look!”
Qiu Shuoran flared up. “You’re nothing but a pretty boy. Why look at me like that? With Aunt Yan absent, you’d best behave yourself. Don’t provoke me, or no one will save you!”
His only answer was Xiao Jihan’s cold laugh: “Heh.”
Qiu Shuoran’s fury erupted, and his sword appeared in his hand, but Sun Changfeng quickly grabbed him. “Shuo’er! Show respect to Uncle Xiao!”
At that moment, a secret message entered Qiu Shuoran’s mind: “Within the Brahma Heaven Secret Realm, cultivators are forbidden from harming each other. Anyone who attempts will be instantly ejected! Though this is a forbidden ground of opportunity, it remains under the secret realm’s rules. Be patient; I have other ways to deal with him.”
Qiu Shuoran’s expression changed. He angrily sheathed his sword and snorted at Xiao Jihan, “I won’t stoop to the level of a pretty boy like you!”
With that, he strode ahead.
Sun Changfeng followed, glancing back at Meng Yu, the faintest smile at his lips.
When Qiu Shuoran drew his sword, Sun Changfeng had deliberately delayed his intervention. If Meng Yu had wished to stop it, he would have spoken up by then.

It seemed more than just he and Qiu Shuoran had schemes against Xiao Jihan.
Whatever their intentions, Xiao Jihan neither knew nor cared.
He simply raised his eyes to the depths of the forest, watching as the others disappeared among the trees.
Just as Sun Changfeng knew that opportunity is often accompanied by peril, Xiao Jihan understood that whether legacy or celestial treasure, anything worth calling a chance would surely be guarded by formidable beings, man or beast.
That was why he had shared news of the opportunity with Qiu Shuoran and Sun Changfeng.
With others to lead the way and test the danger, why not let them?
Moreover, he had a premonition: unlike the shadowed path, which merely appeared menacing, this sunlit, tranquil forest was where true danger lay.
Xiao Jihan stayed still, watching as Qiu Shuoran and the others vanished into the woods, then slowly began to walk forward.
He moved unhurriedly, always maintaining distance from the group ahead. As expected, after a while, the ground beneath the forest shook violently.
He looked ahead and saw, deep within the woods, huge trees uprooted, leaving a bald patch amid the once-thick forest.
Then, he saw a colossal earth dragon slowly raise its head.
The creature’s body was dark as night, its sheer size and bearing suggesting centuries, perhaps millennia of age.
From afar, Xiao Jihan gazed up at the giant beast, a cold smile on his lips. “Opportunity does not come without a price.”
He had no intention of helping. As the earth settled, he leisurely leaned against a tree, watching the events unfold.
Yan Shu cared for the Mystical Heaven Sect, but he did not.
Were it not for Wen Changhe, who had guided him into cultivation and brought him onto the path, those who bullied him like Qiu Shuoran would have long since vanished.
Even when Yan Shu was tormented by her inner demons, he had dozens of ways to make these vermin die without a trace.
Now, it was perfect—he need not lift a finger, and could gain twice the benefit!